Best Indoor Drone
For those who prefer the thrill of flying a drone without stepping outdoors, you're in luck. After scrutinizing 35 different drones, I've identified the Parrot Mambo FPV as the best indoor drone. Boasting a long battery life, low latency, and perfect suitability for casual fun, it offers an exceptional indoor flying experience. Discover more about it and explore the top 5 best indoor drones in the comprehensive guide below.
The Best Drones for Indoor Use:
Best Indoor Drone: Parrot Mambo FPV
- Parrot Mambo is easy and safe to pilot...
- Includes Parrot cockpit glasses (FPV...
- Includes Parrot fly pad for...
- Play with your friends to turn the sky...
- The free flight Mini app expands your...
The Parrot Mambo FPV is heavily targeted to kids, but a lot of adults seem to enjoy it too (based on the comments I’ve found in forums). This little FPV drone may look like a toy but it actually counts as a starter drone especially if you want to start getting serious in piloting miniature wonders. It is only built for indoor use since it has only 10 minutes of battery life and a short connection. It also works well on any major VR headset and FPV goggles too. Whether you are a kid or a kid at heart, make sure that the PARROT MAMBO FPV is at the top of your best indoor drone list.
Best Value Indoor Drone: Eachine E010
- Low price and Practical：Low price and...
- 3D flip and High low speed mode：The...
- One-key return: The drone can auto...
- Compass Mode: The drone will change its...
- Steps to Match Code: 1. Turn on the...
The Eachine E010 is probably one of the cutest drones I have ever laid my eyes on. It’s like a flying baby Yoda, really. But aside from the adorable size, the Eachine E010 packs quite a good set of features that make this a joy to have at home. It has a durable nylon build that keeps it from getting busted no matter how many times it crashes to the ground and has a pretty good battery life of up to 5 minutes. The E010 can also travel as far as 100m, making it good to use in the backyard. The price is also the star of this drone since pretty much anybody, whether drone fan or not, can buy this.
Best Mini Indoor Drone: Cheerson CX-10
- Suitable for: Ages 14+
- Model on Hubsan H111
- 6-axis design makes the gyroscope...
- Flight time will be up to 4-8...
- Low voltage alarm
If you like the “smol” type of drone just because you want a flying saucer that looks as cute as a button, then I highly recommend the Cheerson CX-10. It’s so small, it fits the palm of your hand. While it does not have a lot of features nor does it even allow for FPV controls, it certainly caters to you as a small flying toy. This little thingamajig is only for fun, casually flying around doing cool stunts that would make any kid happy. I do wish it had a longer battery life than 4 minutes but for the price you pay, this is very worth your money.
Best Indoor FPV Drone: Poke FPV Mini UFO
- This ARRIS poke micro drone is based on...
- One-key Return: With built-in...
- FPV Camera: Equipped with 5.8G 25mW HD...
- This micro video camera drone has...
- RTF version with a battery inside the...
The Poke FPV Mini UFO is one of the best FPV drones made for indoor purposes that you will ever find online. Yes, it does look like a miniature UFO and it can do crazy aerobatics too. The only thing required in order to use this is if you already have a monitor or VR/FPV goggles that support the UFO. The farthest it can go is 30m which is enough to fly around the living room and show off to your friends. Just make sure to make every second within its 6 minutes of battery life count. Headtracking is also amazing in the Poke drone.
Best Indoor Drone for Beginners: Holy Stone HS200
- HD FPV CAMERA: First Person View 720P HD...
- ALTITUDE HOLD: Powerful air pressure...
- MOBILE CONTROL: Control the drone with a...
- HEADLESS MODE AND ONE KEY RETURN HOME...
- 2.4G 4CHANEL 6-AXIS GYRO TECHNOLOGY:...
The Holy Stone HS200 is kind of a hybrid between indoor and outdoor. While it may have a short distance of up to 50m, its large build makes it good for small outdoor flights too. The HS200 can also stream videos directly to your device at seamless 720p too. Keep in mind that this is a high-end indoor drone so don’t expect this to be cheap as the rest of the drones listed here. This is a more serious type of drone, making it ideal for those looking to invest time on flying drones. Just make sure to calibrate it once in a while since it tends to have a mind of its own.
Conclusion (Why I Would Buy It)
Indoor drones are as fun as outdoor drones but if you want my hot take as to which is the best indoor drone, I have to give it up for the Parrot Mambo FPV thanks to its far travel distance and long battery life. The Eachine E010 is also good but only if you wish to find a budget-friendlier drone to use inside your house. If you prefer FPV piloting, the Poke FPV Mini UFO is the best choice. And when you want to get into the more serious tone of drone piloting, the Holy Stone HS200 makes a great option.
Drone Buying Guide
Size
Since you are looking for a drone to flying inside your house, you wouldn’t want a large drone like a DJI since it will just knock down stuff. Instead, the smaller the better. They may look like novelty drones but they still make great starters for inexperienced droners. As long as it can fit in the palm of your hand or slightly bigger than two hands, it’s a suitable indoor drone. Unless you live in a mansion with a tall ceiling, it is a safer choice to buy a small-sized drone.
FPV or None
This one just depends on your liking. Either way works but if you want something more complex and challenging, go for FPV.
Simple Controls
Indoor drones are far less complicated compared to outdoor drones. As such, the controllers have lesser inputs and barely any custom mapping needed. The simpler the controls, the better - at least if you are never planning to fly a drone outside.
Price
Since the features and components are lesser with indoor drones compared to its outdoor counterparts, you should expect indoor drones to cost only around $30 to $200, depending on the brand. But just because it is more expensive does not mean it is better. For example, Eachine E010 is very cheap yet it can travel farther and last longer than most indoor drones that cost around $100.
The answer will depend on your preference. I have already listed down all of the best indoor drones according to my research but you can definitely check out other forums and reviews if you don’t find what you’re looking for in this article. Personally, I think you’ll find the Parrot Mambo FPV to be the best.
Not every drone is ideal for flying inside your household, though. The only good ones are the smallest kinds since large drones like the PowerVision PowerEgg can just knock over anything inside the house. Unless you live in a mansion or a house with a high ceiling, it is more ideal to get a small drone.
Most indoor drones have smartphone apps - especially the FPV types. Although, there are some that are much like a pure aerial R/C where all you need is a controller that comes with it. Even if you don’t have a smartphone, the indoor drones with apps always have a PC app version.
A lot of modern drones do not need WiFi at all unless you’re relying on the smartphone app. JDI and Yuneec have drones that only work with their controllers and local FPV goggles but if you are to use a 3rd party headset plus the app, you need to connect to the internet.
